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Eggplants are versatile vegetables that are part of many dishes. Various stews, salads are prepared from the blue ones, they are added to the first and second courses, pickled, canned and sour. Therefore, every summer resident dreams of growing eggplants on his own plot. However, this culture is quite capricious, so all stages of its cultivation must be carried out with strict observance of the rules.
Eggplant seedlings grown at home greatly increase the chances of success. After all, when buying seedlings, you can never be 100% sure of its quality.
In addition, tender eggplants need to be transplanted from one place to another as quickly as possible.
How to grow eggplant seedlings at home and get an excellent harvest of blue ones at your own dacha – in this article.
Preparing seeds for sowing
Deciding on an eggplant variety is only half the battle. Although here there is a small nuance – only varieties with early ripening periods are suitable for domestic climatic features, the rest simply do not have time to ripen.
Much more responsible is to properly prepare the seeds for planting. First of all it is necessary to reject unsuitable seed material. One way is to place the seeds in water with the addition of table salt. 5% salt is diluted in warm water and eggplant seeds are dipped in this solution for a couple of hours. Those seeds that float to the surface can be collected with a spoon and thrown away – neither empty, nor will they give sprouts. The remaining seeds are caught and subjected to further processing.
To disinfect eggplant seeds, a solution of potassium permanganate is suitable, at the rate of 1 gram of manganese per 100 grams of water. That is, the solution should be strong enough, have a dark purple hue.
It is more convenient to place the seeds in a container with a solution, after pouring them into a linen bag. A bag can be attached to the edge of a jar or cup with manganese with a regular clothespin. In this position, the seeds are left for 20 minutes, after which they are thoroughly washed under running tap water.
Under natural conditions, eggplant seeds germinate very slowly, this process can take up to three weeks. To speed up the growth of seedlings, it is recommended to pre-soak the seeds in warm water for about 12 hours, after which the seeds are laid out on a cloth and moistened with water. A saucer with cloth and seeds is placed in a warm place (25-28 degrees), constantly moistened and waiting for a few days to hatch.
Eggplants do not tolerate any transplant, in order to reduce the loss of seedlings, it need to harden. The first stage of hardening falls on hatched seeds. There are two hardening methods:
- For several days, germinated seeds should be kept at a temperature of 20 degrees during the day, and at night lower it to +5 degrees.
- Put the swollen seeds in the zero chamber of the refrigerator, where they can be kept for 1-3 days.
Where to get soil for seedlings
The soil for growing eggplant seedlings at home can be purchased at a specialized store. But much cheaper and more reliable to prepare the substrate yourself.
Each gardener with experience already has his own, best, recipe for preparing soil mixture for blue seedlings. Here are some of the more common recipes:
- sod land, humus, superphosphate, wood ash;
- sod land, peat, sand;
- mullein, sawdust, peat.
The finished mixture must be disinfected before fertilizing.. For this, several methods are used:
- soil freezing;
- baking the soil in the oven;
- watering the earth with boiling water;
- adding a solution of potassium permanganate.
Fertilizers are applied to the disinfected soil, thoroughly mixed and laid out in containers for seedlings.
The choice of sowing seeds for seedlings
The timing of eggplant sowing depends on several factors:
- Varieties of eggplant and its growing season.
- Planting method (greenhouse, heated greenhouse, open ground).
- Climatic features of the region.
- weather conditions.
As a rule, eggplant seedlings are taken out into open ground 65-70 days after the first shoots have appeared. Considering that it will take from 5 to 12 days for the seeds to germinate, it can be calculated that eggplants need to be planted on the 80th day after sowing the seeds in pots.
Of course, much depends on the region in which the garden is located. In central Our Country, for example, eggplants are taken out to the beds somewhere in mid-May.
Most summer residents and gardeners are of the opinion that the best time for sowing eggplant seeds is the end of February-beginning of March.
Growing seedlings at home
The eggplant root system is very fragile, even one damaged shoot will slow down the growth of the entire plant. To minimize the loss of seedlings, it is better to immediately plant them in separate containers, then diving is not needed.
Round pots with a diameter of 7-10 cm are suitable as containers for seedlings. These can be plastic or peat cups. Well, if it is possible to transplant eggplants with a clod of earth (a peat glass or cutting a plastic container).
The pots are filled with the substrate by about 23, watered with warm water. Seeds are laid out on the ground – three in each pot. Seeds are not sunk into the soil, but sprinkled with dry and loose soil – eggplants need oxygen.
If the seeds were pre-germinated, the first shoots will appear on the 5th day after sowing, unsprouted seeds will sprout only after 10 days. During this time, the plants should be kept in a warm place – 25-28 degrees.
After 10 days, the pots are placed in a cooler room (about 16-18 degrees). At this time, the root system is formed in the eggplant, so that it is strong and powerful, the plant must be placed in the cold.
After 7-10 days during the day, the seedlings are kept at a temperature of 23-26 degrees, at night it should be a little cooler – about 18 degrees.
Eggplants should be watered regularly – the earth should not dry out and crack. Also, the soil must be carefully loosened – a dense crust should not form around the stem. Water for irrigation should be warm.
How to highlight eggplant seedlings
The blue ones are very fond of the sun, they need light as well as heat. Given the fact that the seeds for eggplant seedlings are sown at the end of February, it is easy to guess that the seedlings will not have enough sunlight.
therefore artificial illumination of plants is used. They do this with powerful fluorescent lamps (70 watts). Fluorescent lamps are excellent for this purpose.
Lighting fixtures are placed at a height of about 50 cm from eggplant seedlings. The light day of this culture depends on the age of the seedlings:
- after the first shoots appear, eggplant seedlings are illuminated with lamps 24 hours a day for the first three days;
- the following days the daylight hours should be about 15 hours;
- after the seedlings dive, or two or three true leaves appear on the plants, the lamps can be turned on for 12 hours a day.
How to feed and harden eggplant seedlings
Blue ones belong to those crops that are very fond of top dressing. That’s why, if the plants develop poorly, have insufficient foliage, they are fed with mullein or chicken droppings.
When the seedlings feel good, you can fertilize for the first time 10 days after the pick was made (or after the appearance of the third leaf). Repeat the procedure after another 20 days.
The best mixture for nourishing eggplant is the composition:
- potassium salt – 3 grams;
- ammonium nitrate – 5 grams;
- superphosphate – 12 grams.
After fertilizing, the seedlings must be well watered with clean water so that the eggplant does not burn.
Blue seedlings need to be hardened two weeks before planting in a permanent place. The procedure includes reducing watering and airing plants.
When the temperature outside stabilizes within 20 degrees, eggplant seedlings can be taken out for ventilation. Hardening begins from a few minutes, gradually the time increases to a whole daylight hours.
Such conditions contribute to the gradual adaptation of eggplant seedlings to their natural environment; plants quickly adapt to a permanent place after transplantation.
When to transfer seedlings to a permanent place
Eggplant seedlings should be stocky and strong. Bushes in height can reach 15-20 cm, have 7-8 true leaves, the first few buds. And taller seedlings should be planted in the greenhouse, and for open ground, eggplants should be short and stocky.
Eggplant seedlings are transferred to greenhouses at the end of April. The beginning of May is suitable for film shelters, and blue ones are transplanted into the open ground in the middle or end of May (depending on the region and weather conditions).
What not to do when growing eggplant seedlings
There are several mistakes regularly made by inexperienced gardeners:
- sowing unsprouted seeds;
- using gauze to germinate seeds can break delicate sprouts;
- too deep planting of seeds in the ground (planting depth should not exceed 2 cm);
- installation of boxes with seedlings on non-insulated window sills.
Growing eggplant seedlings at home, you can be absolutely sure of its quality. There will be no surprises, like a different variety, with self-germination of seeds. But in order to get high-quality planting material, you will have to follow all the rules and requirements of this whimsical culture.
